Today is my sister's birthday. You know the one that loves to wear her wonder woman outfit.

In celebration of this day and with the help of one her very generous friends we are all spending the weekend in the Hampton's or Out East as we call it. Her friend's family has a great new beach house, which they just finished building and decorating. I can't wait to see what it looks like. I've been told there is lots of white in the home so no red wine allowed. Since I've been on a huge white kick I'm sure I'll be in love with all of it. I'll make sure to takes lots of pictures to document my trip. I'm sure it will be very quiet out east since it's not really the busy season, but there are plans to hear a band play, dinner reservations and loads of relaxation with a full supply of bootleg ( bad, I know) movies that are up for Oscars.

So since I don't have pictures of the house as of yet I'm leaving you with some familiar pictures of a very famous Hampton's home that we all know and love.

Something's Gotta Give Amazing Living Room

I know I want to make pancakes here.

Look at this dining room. Wow wrap it up and I'll take it and make it Dining Room set number 3 for me!

Way to cold to be poolside, but it's still nice to look at. Images from AD

Hopefully we'll end the birthday celebration in a night like this:

Ok off I go my loveys. I need to shower, pack, wrap up sissy's gift, pick up cake and eventually get on the road.

Be back on Monday hopefully well-rested and full of pictures to share.

Today I woke up to the ground completely covered in white and I knew exactly what I was going to post about today.

I go around now with a little notebook in my purse and every time I get inspiration or find something super cool that I must let everyone know about I jot it down. So this little gem was in said notebook so here goes.

Lately my mind has had white on the brain. I've always had a good relationship with the color white. I tend to use it manly on accessories, but lately it's turn into full on love and I'm pretty sure it's due to my friendship with Lauren. She makes me want to paint the town WHITE!

I love how a white palette gives you no limitations. You can use it in a chic city loft apartment or in a beachy cottage and pretty much anything in between. It can be used in little doses by using it in accessories or used on everything from the furniture, wall color, rug choice, the list goes on and on.

While searching on the web I found this amazing shop in Australia that carries home products that are all related to the color white. There items range in shades from white, silver, clear, sand and sometimes a touch of gray. It is very appropriately named, White Port and was started by Jennifer McCabe in 2007. She picks out items that are simple and timeless along with being quite stylish. The prices are amazing and they even ship to the US! Ok so the shipping is is a little bit higher, but it won't break the bank.

One of the main reasons for why I actually decided to stop being a chicken and venture off into the world of blogging and start my own business was due to a constant reoccurring conversation that I kept having with one of my sisters.

We both wanted so many things to happen in our lives, but just kinda wanted to snap our fingers and have them appear. Isn't that how it happens in movies? Anyway we realized that in order to make our dreams a reality we needed to become Do-ers and be able to get ahead in life. So we both started our blogs at the same time and are constantly emailing each other with our latest endeavors in being a Do-er. (Come to think about I think the whole reason why we got a huge Do-er kick was after watching a Grey's Anatomy episode where Izzy and George were discussing becoming Do-ers themselves..hmm funny, but that's neither here nor there)

So in order to get a better picture as to one of the differences between me and my sister I always come to this scene from Dirty Dancing in which the whole family is eating at the dining hall in the resort and owner comes up to the Dad to ask about the family. It goes a little something like this:

Dad: Max, our baby's going to change the world.

Max (Looking at Lisa): And what are you going to do, missy?

Baby: Oh Lisa's gonna decorate it.

(Guess who is who)

While I have a strong passion for women's rights and even spend some time volunteering for such causes my heart will always belong to design. My sister along with my baby sister both want to truly save the world. They both work for non-profits and fight for woman's rights. We should be very lucky that they are in our corner.

Ok with this little antidote out of the way. Now back to the story at hand.

My sister in her modest every day attire.

One of my sister's latest wants in life was to make some extra cash and do something productive with her free time. Who doesn't want that? Enter the perfect part-time job opportunity. She got hired by Care 2, which is on online blogging community in which she gets to blog about women's rights. So in order to support my sissy in her latest endeavor. I wanted to give you all a sneak peak into her blog page at Care 2.

If you have a moment and enjoy what she wrote about then comments would be greatly appreciated!

**** Thanks for all the great links. I've been perusing them all day. I'm thinking that I want to lean towards a more Swedish style design and go with white, white, white for the dining room. Any helpful sites would be greatly appreciated!!!!****

I hope so, because I am now on the search for dining room set number 3!!!!!

Ok first off it took me forever to pick out a set that I liked. I finally found one in August and it took 4 months to come in. When it arrived part of it was broken, the chairs were all uneven and instead of looking white it looked like a shade of peach!!!! After many phone calls the set finally got returned and we got back all of our money.

So, then the search began again and I found something I liked at Pottery Barn and it was on sale, which was even better. We got it in two weeks and at first had no problems. I was finally able to unpack all of my china. We threw out every single china box and filled the server. The hunt then turned into a search for the perfect lighting fixture and wallpaper for the room. Then 2 weeks ago we notice that there is a crack on the server door. Call up Pottery Barn. No problem they send over a furniture doctor. He comes in and says the damage is too bad and he'll just put in an order for a new door. We call PB this weekend to check-up on the situation. They no longer make the set, there is none in the warehouse or stores and they don't want to return it. Now not only is one door cracked, but we take a closer look and the second door is starting to crack as well!!! So Saturday was spent on the phone with PB on hold while they tried to get a manager to approve a return and credit for the entire set. It was finally accomplished and they are sending someone in two weeks to pick it up.

Which now leaves me again with no furniture and loose pieces of China all over the place!!! Jon wants to turn the room into a roller ring. Geez thanks hun for the great ideas....

I have no clue where I'm going to find a set that I like. I'm looking for something white or lime-washed wood would be nice. Maybe have the table be exposed wood and then white chairs? I'm just not sure anymore. I'm on the search for something with a cottage feel, but not too shabby chic.

During the week I don't really have the time to enjoy my kitchen and use it to cook fabulous meals for the husband.

I'm not going to lie. Most nights I rely on Bertolli oven meals for 2 or their pasta bags for two. Some nights I even just end up eating cereal when the husband ends up getting home to late to eat a heavy meal.

I love recipes and actually really enjoy cooking, but by the time I get out of work, go to the market and then get a recipe out and set up all of my ingredients I'm just plain tired and hungry that a much faster option usually ends up wining.

During the weekends I have more free time to experiment in the kitchen and that is when my many print outs from different sources come out and I give my latest recipes a try. Like always I end up getting everything on the recipe paper and normally have to throw it out when I'm done cooking.

While I love the look of heels I'm often seen in flats! I know, but what can I say heels hurt my feet and even though I'm a little bit of a fashionista I draw the line induring pain for the look of the perfect pair of heels.

Enter these lovely pictures that if hung up on my wall would give my high-heel fix and be easy on my feet.

How sad is it that one of my favorite things from this month's Domino was actually a woman's accessory item and not a home decor one.

While this issue did have some good features it was a bit light on new ideas in decorating. The item that stayed in my memory the most was the front cover with Ms. Deschanel's amazing tights! I love the bright color that she was sporting and how it tied in with the belt she had on.

For the last couple of years my go-to outfits has been dresses! Pants are a big pain for me, because I'm on the short side and everything needs to hemmed. Skirts are easier to wear, but then you need to worry about tops so dresses have stolen my heart. They help me look stylish yet comfy and make picking out my outfit in the morning super easy. Due to my abundance of dresses I have also acquired quite the large selection of tights. I pretty much have only stuck to staple colors like black and brown, but the Domino color made me realize that I should embrace color and use it to update some of my outfits and put a little happy in my step!

I can't wait to place an order at We Love Colors and put some new life in my wardrobe.

I found this image last night while getting my magazine fix with my latest favorite,Canadian House & Home

Only problem is many of the items in the magazine are only available in Canada. So that's a big old Boo! Plus it's insanely difficult to use their images, because they make up sign up and pay for a digital subscription. I hope US shelter mags don't start doing this.

It took forever to get this image on my computer. My scanner was not being very helpful and to top it up my computer wasn't helping much either.

Finally I head up to bed and show my husband with excitement this amazing tile and he hates it and calls it blingy and tells me it belongs in Jay-Z's kitchen. Geez tell me how you really feel.

So, let me know what you think. I really like it. It's a different spin for a back splash.

What a day today has been. While I wish I had been able to partake with the masses and venture off to D.C. for the inauguration that was not in the cards. I was lucky enough to be able to watch it live from work. I loved every bit of it. I was/am an Obama supporter so I was thrilled to see him become our 44th President.

While Obama gave a fabulous speech that reached out to many the person that got my undivided attention was little Ms. Sasha Obama. What a cute little lady with such personality.

I loved when she gave him the thumbs-up.

I agree with Ms. Sasha and even though I find giving the thumb's up a tad cheesy I raise my thumb today to our new leader.

Last week I was lucky enough to call in a family favor and get some help in creating a custom logo that I can use on my website and on my business cards.

Like a typical woman I changed my mind from my original color combo of red/aqua and decided to go a different route with something that felt more like me and would be stylish yet timeless. With the current color combo in my mind and some inspiration from the web I reached out to Nina! She is a very stylish, creative, woman that hails from San Francisco and is a free-lance graphic designer! I felt bad bugging family, but who else is around to bug and due to my limited budget I decided to send an email her way anyway. Nina was more than happy to help me out. After a couple of emails back and forth she sent me 10 fabulous options! Now the only problem is that I can't figure out which one to use. It's like asking a mother, which child is her favorite. I can't decided.

Here is where you all come in. Since part of this blog is my accounts of starting this business of mine I figured whoelse is better equiped to help me with this decision than my loyal readers/friends.

So, in the profound words of the Spice Girls, "Tell me what you want, what you really really want."

Leave me a comment and let me know which is your favorite! Which card screams, "Wow this girl has style and I want her to re-do my room!"

If you never commented before now is the time to do so. I need all the opinions I can get.

For the first time ever J.Crew will be holding a Sample Sale in NYC! Due to slow 4th quarter sales and excess merchandise the retailer decided it's better to make something than nothing at all. Items will be up to 70% off.

From Jan 20-Jan 25th they will be selling select summer, spring and winter styles, Madewell pieces and one of a kind items as well.

This New Yorker will definitely be checking it out and reporting back to you!

Yes, I'm one of those people that normally is not thinking budget. I'm very thrifty when it comes to shopping that I normally just think that since I got things for such a great price I can buy even more. So not right especially during this economic times.

Wanting to add some funds to my piggy bank instead of cracking it open every week I was discussing finances with Liz one of my very best friends and she told me about Mint.

You can actually log on to Mint and have all of your accounts in one place. You can place your student loans, credit cards, heating, mortgage payments,investments, etc. Everything! It will actually analyze what you are spending and where you are spending it.

It also has a section where you can set up budgets for whatever you like such as trips to the supermarket/food. When you use your debit card or credit card at the market it will automatically update your food budget and you'll know what you have left for the rest of month.

I can't wait to try it out. I'll be signing up for it this weekend and the best part....it's FREE!

Have any of you every tried this out? What money saving techniques do you use to help save?

Ok so there have been quite a few post already about Michael Smith being the newly appointed designer for the White House. Talk about dream job. I can't wait to see what he does. Since so many have already discussed and posted this announcement and pictures of his work I figured I would go another route.

A couple of days ago while getting ready for work there was a segment on the news over the 2 dog choices our new President and his family are looking into.

First off was the Portuguese Water Dog. Normally I'm not a fan of them. They have an awful lot of hair and truthfully I've never really meet one so I wasn't sure what to think until I found this picture:

The other dog in the running is a Golden Doodle. I have meet many of these little fellas during my trips to the dog park. I think they would be great pick for a family with kids. They are just lovable and goofy.

So do you think Michael is going to add some special decor for the pooch?

Here are some stylish picks for when they pick out there new furry addition:

The new pooch will also a need a new collar with his/her famous address:

And last but not least some formal wear for all those important political events:

Hmm I just went onto Michael's site and was looking at his Jasper Line of fabrics and Furniture and the logo has a pup that looks like a Portuguese water dog. I wonder if this will sway the Obama's decision?

Since the new year I've been very good with watching what I eat and doing Jillian's 30day shred. I don't have a ton of weight that I want to lose it's more about being toned and healthy. Plus at the ripe old age of 27 I can't eat like I use to and someone decided to gift me with hips on my 25th birthday. The nerve of them!

All was going well and now with day 14 I fell off the wagon. I had lunch with my hubby today and went to pick up some pizza for us. Ok not the healthiest option, but I figured one little slice wouldn't hurt. Well what do I see when I go in, but pepperoni pinwheels. One of my favorite pizzeria staples. So what do I do? Order the house salad with a side of dressing? Nope I order my slice of pizza along with a pepperoni pinwheel and of course a diet coke.

I didn't eat breakfast this morning so I figured the pinwheel could count for that.

Oh well. Tomorrow is another day. I'm off to go have Jillian scream in my face and ask me if I want to die. Good times.

I've been a bit stressed this week with a very long and never ending to-do list that is constantly running in my head, but this morning I decided to take a view moments to do some virtual shopping and check out some High-Heels! What can I say shopping relaxes me.

Ok yes orange isn't really a practical color, but it would add some fun to outfits in the coming Spring season and would look great against some pink and purple hues.

Don't worry if orange is not your cup of tea they also come in black patent.

My favorite part of the shoe?

The inner lining of course! Look at that zig-zag pattern.Normally designers tend to forgot about the liner and it's just a label, but I love the thought put into this normally little detail. I die. Plus since I can't afford a Madeline Weinrib rug perhaps I can use these shoes to get my fix.

Sara and Danielle the lovely ladies from Sweet Nothings recently asked me to be their first blogger interview. I was shocked and touched that they asked and more than happy to comply.

Make sure you check out Sweet Nothings to read about moi and add them to your daily read. They always make me laugh and have a great pulse on today's fashions.

As part of my interview I helped Danielle out with a little inspiration board for her current bathroom. She told me she was open to anything so I went with a chic and stylish look for a hip young women in her 20s.

Lately my favorite shelter magazines have slowly been disappearing. I like many others am still mourning the loss of Cottage Living and now most recently Country Home. I was thrilled this evening when I got home and saw that I had received my most recent copy of Country Living. (*I then immediately got huffy, because my Domino magazine still hasn't arrived. I know the second I go pick it up at the bookstore it will be waiting for me at home! So I'm going to wait a little bit longer before I run out and pick up a copy. Ok rant over)

Country Living did not disappoint this month and I was happy to see that they were showcasing their 2009 House of the Year. In the mountaintops of West Virginia there is now a new grand addition. Taking it's cue from nature Tom Tretheway the designer builder went a new route and built up instead of horizontally in order to follow the lines of the red spruce that surround the home.

This arts and crafts style retreat was built in just six months by the Country Living team and one lucky reader that won a contest and got to get her say in the master bedroom! Lucky lady.

Here are some pics of the new home:

Exterior Shot

Great Room: I love the pop of color with that amazing shade of blue. It's also great to see the marriage of some modern elements giving this Country retreat a lovely twist.

Dining Nook

Open Kitchen

Bathroom. I love everything about this room. I have full on tub envy!

Contest Winner Bedroom. I'm not loving everything in this room, but I do LOVE the lamps. I've been dying to do this in a room. Just beautiful and it gives you more space on your night stand.

Industrial Windows. I'm not sure exactly where this goes in the house, but I love them!

If you want to learn more about the house there is going to be a TV special on the DIY Network Jan 15th and 18th.

Anyone know what happens to the house after they are done? Does it just go on the market? What a fun open house that would be.

Search This Blog

Loading...

Followers

About This Blog

I've been redecorating rooms for as long as I can remember. I always been the go-to gal for picking out paint colors or fabrics for a bedroom re-model. I've finally decided to get my high-heeled foot in the design door and open my own Interior Decorating firm called Effortless Style.